How to stop drinking.

by Ed Philips
Many people have a problem when thinking of alcoholism as a disease because it simply doesn't seem like one. It doesn't look a disease; nor does it sound, smell, or act like a disease. To cap it all, it regularly denies it exists and refuses to accept treatment.

Alcoholism has been recognized for many years by professional medical organizations as a primary, chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disease. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence offers a detailed and complete definition of alcoholism, but probably the most simple way to describe it is "a mental obsession that causes a physical compulsion to drink."

Mental obsession? Did you ever wake up in the morning with a song playing over and over in your head? It might have been a commercial jingle you heard on television, or a song from the radio, but it kept playing ... and playing and playing. Mental Obsession Come on; admit that you remember what it was like. That stupid melody kept repeating in your head no matter what you did. You probably tried to listen to another tune, sing another song, or turn on the radio; however, the one in your head just kept on playing. We have all been there. Something was happening in your mind that you didn't consciously put there and no matter how hard you tried you couldn't get it out!

Above is a basic example of what a mental obsession is -- a mental thought process over which you have no power over. If you comprehend the music scenario, you might understand more about the nature of the disease of alcoholism. In the mind of an alcoholic, when the drinking "song" starts playing, he becomes powerless to resist the noise. The song wasn't consciously put there and the only obvious way to get it to stop playing, for the alcoholic, is to take a drink.

The problem is the alcoholic's mental obsession with alcohol is much more subtle than a song playing in his mind. In fact, he may not even know it's there. All he knows is he suddenly has an urge to take a drink a physical compulsion to drink. Progressive Disease Compounding the problem is the progressive nature of the disease. In its early stages, taking one or two drinks may be all it takes to get the "song" to stop. But soon it takes six or seven and later maybe ten or twelve. Somewhere down the road the only time the song stops is when he passes out.

The progression of the disease is so subtle and usually takes place over such an extended period of time, that even the alcoholic himself failed to notice the point at which he lost control -- and alcohol took over -- his life. It's no wonder denial is a common indication of the illness. For those who realize that they do have a problem help is as close as the white pages of the telephone directory. Unfortunately there are those who need help however do all they can to resist it, for these people intervention may be the only alternative.

Discover how to Stop Drinking Alcohol found at http://www.stopdrinkingadvice.org/guide written by Ed Philips and get free advice to help you Quit Alcohol Today. View more articles from Ed Philips
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